Apparatus for making separable fasteners



Nov. 24, 1942. l N. J. Poux APPARATUS, FOR MAKING SEPARABLE FASTENER'S Original Filed Aug; 81939 .WSMPQH NW QN s h 8 um, QQ

' manufacturing such i tially on the line APPARATUS Fon MAKING SEPARABLE FASTENEBS Noel J. Poux, Mead ville, Pa., assigner to Talon,

Inc., a corporationof Pennsylvania Original application December 16, 1933, Serial No.

702,266, now Patent No. 2,169,178, dated August 8, 1939. Divided and this application July 3,

1939, Serial No.

2 Claims. (Cl. 153-1) This invention relates to apparatus for the manufacture of separable or slide fasteners and especially to apparatus for use in those methods of manufacture wherein the fastener members or elements are formed in strips inwhich they are disposed either in side by side or end to end relationship, and wherein the strips are progressively or intermittently fed and the fastener members or elements severed therefrom and applied to tapesto form fastener stringers.

This invention relates, in particular, to the provision of Ameans for accomplishing a definite forward feed of a strip of united fastener elements.

In machines heretofore devised for the manu- 'facture of slide fastener stringers in which the are severed from a strip and attached to a tape, the step-wise feed of the strip in timed relation with the severing and attaching mechanism was performed by rolls frictionally engaging the metal strip. The slide fastener stringers which comprise a large number of small fastener members attached to tapes, must be made cheaply and the attempt is constantly being made to make the fastener stringere run at higher speeds. Due to the extreme accuracy required in forming, severing and attaching the fastener members, 'a great deal of difficulty has been encountered due to inaccuracies of feeding the fastener member strip. The principal object therefore of my invention is to provide means which will accomplish a denite and accurate forward feed of the strip even at very high speeds.

'Ihis application is a division of my application slide fastener members machines for Serial Number 702,766, filed December 16, 1933,

which matured into United States Letters Patent No. 2,169,176, granted August 8, 1939.

In that patent application I have described a method of manufacture wherein the individual interlocking members or elements are fabricated in continuous strip form, and then applied individually to the tape and severed from the strip.

In the drawing: v

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in longitudinal section, of a mechanism for polishing and fasteners embodying the feeding means invention;

Fig.2 isy a transverse section taken substan- 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

plan view of the mech from the strip by closof this Fig. 3 is a fragmentary anism for severing the fasteners and attaching them to the fastener tape ing or crimping the jaws or legs thereof.

Referring to the drawing in detail, it will be assembling seen that the fastener strip, which is generally designated III, comprises a series of united fastener elements or members having head portions II at one end and jaw portions Il at the other end. The head portions II each are provided with a projection I2 at one side and a, complementary socket or recess (not shown) at the other side. The vjaw portions I4 comprise jaw or leg members I5 separated by jaw slots I6.

According to this invention, use is made of the projections I2 in accomplishing a definite forward feed of the strip III.

In Fig. 1, I have of the invention wherein the fastener strip I0 is fed through a guide slot 2| provided in the guide table 20. lThe guide table 20, as' shown, includes a pair of plates secured together in suitable manner and provided with this guide slot or channel 2I which terminates upwardly in a reduced portion, particularly Aadapted to receive the projections I2, as shown in Fig. 2. Communicating with the guide slot 2| are openings 22 through which suitable finishing means, and one of the bottom feed rolls, project for contact with oppo/ site sides of the strip III.

As illustrated, these nishing means comprise wire brushes 23 supported by shafts 24 and driven in either direction, but preferably in the direction of the arrows, and also buffers 26 of suitable material such as felt or other textile material, .which buffers are supported by rotary shafts 21 and driven thereby in either direction, but preferably in the direction of the arrows, as own in Fig. 1.

Arranged below the guide slot 2| and at opposite sides of the strip nishing means are a pair of bottom feed rolls 28 which are supported and rotated by the shafts 29 in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. -These rolls 28 are formed of any suitable yieldable material.

At the opposite side of the guide slot 2l and each arranged adjacent a bottom feed roll 2 8 are 30 which are provided with' alternate notches 3l and feed fingers 32. These upper feed rolls are supported by the shafts 33 and rotated thereby in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 1.

Beyond the end o'f the guide table 20 in the direction of feed, suitable means is provided for supporting and progressively feeding the fastener element carrying tape 35 in such manner that the reinforced edge 36 thereof shall be disposed to-f and the adjacent end of the guide table 20, are

shown apreferred embodiment with the severing severing means including a cutter 31 for severing the end fastener elements or members from the strip and jaw crimping means including pressure fingers 38 having thereon spring pressed dies 39 with die slots 48 adapted to engage and crimp the jaws or leg portions I3 of the fastener members over the reinforced edge 38 of the tape 35, as shown in Fig. 1. y

'Ihe stripi 0 is progressively fed in synchronism mechanism, the crimping mechanism and the tape feeding means by means of suitable drive connections (not shown) provided between the shafts 29 and 33, the tape feeding means and the operating mechanisms for the cutter 31 and pressure fingers 38.

While the strip is traveling through the guide slot 2|, the opposite sides thereof are engaged by the finishing means 23 and 28 in such manner that the strip I0 is given a complete surface finish before it reaches the cutter 31 and pressure fingers 38. The feed of the strip I8 is positive due to engagement of the'feed fingers 32 of the v'notched topfeed rolls on the head portions I As shown in Fig. 1, the spacing between feed ngers- 32 is equal to the spacing between projections I2 in the strip. There is, therefore, an interlocking relationship between the upper side of the strip I0 and the notched top feed rolls 30.

The lower or bottom feed rolls 28 are sufficiently yieldable to maintainr the projections I2 cf the strip I0 in engagement with the feed fingers 32, and as the feed rolls 28 and 30 preferably rotate at the same speed, a positive feed is assured wherein one set of feed rolls operates as feeding means while the other said to'operate as a brake.

In this manner, extreme precision, positiveness and accuracy in the progressive feeding of the strip` I0 is assured, in order that the end element shall be precisely and properly located immediately prior to each operation of the cutter 31 and associated pressure ngers 38, in order 'that the fastener elements or members may be accurately positioned and spaced when clamped or crimped on the reinforced edge 36 of the tape 35, the feeding means of which tape is synchronized with the operating means for the cutter 31 and pressure fingers 38, as described above.

I of the strip IIJ.

30 with the projections I 2 set of feed rolls maybe- It is, of course, to be understood that the above 50 described structure is merely illustrative and in no wise limiting and that I desire to comprehend within my invention such modincations as are included within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention. what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. In feeding means for strips of joined preformed slide fastener interlocking members, each having a projection thereo guide means denning a guide slot for supporting said strips for sliding movement, and means for feeding said strips through said guide slot including a pair of synchronously driven rolls disposed adjacent and'at opposite sides of said guide slot and adapted to receive saidfastener strips therebetween for close engagement therewith, one of said rolls being resilient and having a cylindrical surface and the other of said rolls having a notched surface adapted for interlocking engagement with the projections on one side of said strip. v

2. In apparatus for manufacturing slide fasteners from strips of joined preformed slide fastener interlocking members, each having a projection thereon, guide means defining a guide slot for supporting said strips for sliding movement, surface finishing means communicating with said guide slot for engaging strips therein, stringer tape feeding means adjacent one end of said guide slot for supporting Stringer tape for progressive movement, means adjacent said last named end of said slot forsevering fastener members from said strips and clamping them to said tape, and strip feeding means for feeding said strips through said guide slot into engagement with said surface finishing means and to said severing and clamping means, said strip feeding means including longitudinally spaced pairs of driven rolls closely engageable with opposite sides of said strips, one of each pair of said rolls having peripheral feed fingers engageable with the projections on the fastener members in said strips, the spacing of adjacent feed iingers being equal to the spacing of adjacent projections in the strip, and said strip feeding means being synchronized with said severing and clamping means and with said Stringer tape feeding means.

NOEL J. POUX. 

